Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-09-29
ALLAN QUARTERNAIN.
OR
A BROWNING CITY.
CHAPTER 1x.-NTo THE UNKNOWN

| spirits, Tor the reason that we were going
to say goodbye to our kind friends the
Mackenzies, and proceed upon our way al
| dawn on the morrow. Nothing more had
| been seen or heard of the Nasal: and save
| for spear or two which had been over
| looked, and was rusting in the grass. and
few empty cartridges where we had
| stood outside the wall, it would have been
| difficult to tell that the old cattle kraal at
| the foot of the slope had been the scene OF
| SO desperate struggle. Mackenzie was.
/ thanks chiefly to his being SO temperate a
man, rapidly recovering from his wound
and could get about on pair of crutches:
| and as for the other wounded men, one
| had died of gangrene and the rest were in
a fair way to recovery. Mr.. Mackenzes
caravan of men had also returned from the
coast, so that the station was now amply
| garriSoned.
Under these circumstances, we conclud-
ed, warm and pressing as were the invita-
lions for us to stay, that it was time to
| move on, first to Mount Kenia, and thence
into the unknown in search of the myster-
iouS white race which we had set orr
hearts On discovering. This time we were
going to progress by means Of the humble
but useful donkey, of which we had col
lected no less than dozen, to carry our
goods and chattelS, and, if necessary. our
selves. We had now but two Wakwafis
left for servants, and found it quite i'm
possible to get other natives to venture
with us into the unknown parts we pro-
posed to explore; and small blame to them.
After all, as Mr.. Mackenzie said, it was
odd that three men, each of whom DOS
sessed many of those things that are sup
posed to make life worth living, health.
sufficient means, and position, etc, should
Of their own pleasure start out upon wild
goose chase, from which the chances were
they never would return. But then that
is what Englishmen are, adventures to
the backbone; and all our magnificent mus
ter-rOll Of colonies, each of which will in
time become q great nation, testify to the
extraordinary value Of the spirit Of aGven-
ture, which at first sight looks like mild
form of lunacy. "Adventurer"-he who
goes out to meet whatever may come.
Well, that is what we all do in the world,
one way or another; and speaking for my
self, [ am proud Of the title, because it i'm
plies a brave heart and trust in Provi-
dence. Besides, when many and many a
noted Croesus, at whose feet the people
ing and word-coining politician are for
gotten, the names of those grand-hearted
old adyenWvers, who have made England
what she is, will be remembered and taught
with love and pride to little children whose
spirits yet slumber in the womb of unShap-
ed centuries. Not that we three can ex
pect to be numbered with such as these,
yet have we done omething-enough, per
hoy 70 II
uess Of cur folly.
That evening whilst we were sitting on
the veranda, smoking a pipe before turning
in, who should come up to us but AlphOnse,
and, with a magnificent bow, announced
hiS wish for an interview. Being requested
to fire away, he explained at some length
that he was anxious to attach himself to
our party-a statement that aStOnished me
not a little, knowing what q coward the
little man was. The reason, however, soon
appeared Mr.. Mackenzie was going down
TO the cOGs5, and thence on to England.
Now, if he went down country, Alphonse
was persuaded that he would be seized,
eXtradited, sent to France, and guillotined,
isis was the idea that haunted him, as
King Charles head haunted Mr. Dick, and
he broOded over it till his imagination ex-
aggerated the danger ten times. AS mat
ter of fact, the probability is that his Of
Tense against the laws of his country had
long ago been forgotten, and that he would
have been allowed to pass unmolested any
where, except in France; but he could not
be got to see this. Constitutional coward
as the little man was, he infinitely pre-
ferred to face the certain hardshipS and
great risks and dangers of such an eXpe-
dition as ours, than to expose himself, not
withstanding his intense longing for his
native land. to the possible scrutiny of a
police officer-which is, after all, only an
other eXemplification of the truth that, to
the majority of men, q far-off foreseen dan
ger, however shadowy, is much more ter
rible than the most serious present emerg-
ency After listening to what he had to
say, we consulted among ourselves, and
finally agreed, with Mr.. Mackenzie's
knowledge and consent, to accept his offer
To begin with, we were very shOrt-handed,
md Alphonse was a quick, active fellow,
who could turn his hand to anything. and
cook-ah, he could cook! I believe that
he would have made a palatable dish of
those CATERS of his heroic grandfather
which he was so fond Of talking about.
Then he was good-tempered little man,
| and merry as a monkey, whilst his pomp-
Gus, vain-glOrious talk was a source of in
finite amusement to Us; and what is more
he never bore malice. OF course, his be-
ing SO pronounced a coward wGs great
| draw back to him; but now that we knew
! his weakness, we could more or less guard
| against it. So, after warning him of the
undoubted risks he was exposing himself
| to, we told him that we would accept his
| offer on condition that he would promise
| implicit obedience to our orders. We al
| so promised to give him wages at the rate
| of ten pounds a month should he ever
| return to a civilized country to receive
| them. To all of this he agreed with alacrity,
and retired to write letter to his Annette,
which Mr.. Mackenzie promised to post
| when he got down country. He read it to
US afterward, Sir Henry translating, and a
wonderful composition it was. am sure
| the depth of his devotion and the narration
of his sufferings in a barbarous country,
/ star, far from thee, Annette, for whose
adored sake l endure such Sorrow ought
10 have touched the feelings Of the stoniest-
| hearted chambermaid.
| WE'LL the morrow came, and by seven
| Il Ill